Morné must go
10 Sep 2012
JON CARDINELLI writes that Heyneke Meyer is doing the Springboks, and Morné Steyn himself, a disservice by persisting with the out-of-form flyhalf.
One more point would have given the Boks victory in Port Elizabeth. One more would have made the journey to Mendoza a success in the strictest sense.
Had the Boks converted more drop-goal and penalty opportunities in Perth, they may have built a lead so imposing that the Aussies may have failed to come back.
These are the small margins that have meant the difference between success and failure. It may seem a simplistic view, as the Boks are guilty of inadequacies across the board, but there’s no denying that had they converted more of these shots on goal, they would now be sporting a solid six from six record instead of a mess of statistics that read won three, drawn two, and lost one.
Six from six wouldn’t confirm that all is well with the Bok game plan, but it would indicate that they still have the means to win close games. That they didn’t get the desired and very necessary results in Port Elizabeth and Mendoza confirmed that they no longer had that game-winning edge.
Morné Steyn, South Africa’s Mr Reliable of the past three seasons, has battled with his consistency and confidence. Those erratic showings in South Africa and Argentina boded badly for the all important Tests in Australasia.
Steyn’s problem is a fundamental one. I was in England recently and bumped into a former Bok flyhalf, one of the great goal-kickers of the modern era. Having watched Steyn closely over the last year, he has made some interesting and worrying observations about Steyn’s goal-kicking technique.
Significantly, these flaws were highlighted after the Boks beat Argentina in Cape Town. It was a time when everybody, including Meyer, claimed that Steyn was back to his best. My source shook his head at this assertion. Steyn, he argued, would continue to struggle.
The following Saturday, Steyn missed two goal attempts in Mendoza. Two weeks later, he missed one penalty and two drop-goal attempts.
It wasn’t unexpected, at least not from the former Bok flyhalf, and it once again raised the question that everybody has asked at one time or another: What does Steyn offer the Boks if not a reliable goal-kicking option?
His tactical-kicking game has always been a strength, and to be fair, the Boks were good in this department during the first half of the Test in Perth. But too often his tactical- and goal-kicking strengths have been put forward as the argument for his inclusion, and are the reasons why his limp attacking game and frail defence are so often overlooked.
Teams need a reliable goal-kicker to win tight matches, but the modern game also demands a balance between attack and defence. Steyn cannot offer that balance. He possesses neither the skill set nor the vision to be a force on attack, and is a traditional flyhalf in the sense that he is loathe to put his body on the line in the tackle.
The Bok game plan has been lambasted in recent months. Most have called for a complete overhaul and pointed to the All Blacks as an example of how the Boks should play. I agree that the Boks can learn from the All Blacks, but I don’t think a complete rethink is required.
The All Blacks are the best team on the planet because they boast the best balance between attack and defence. The Chiefs won this year’s Super Rugby tournament because they enjoyed such a balance, and the Sharks were South Africa’s best team because they too embraced a more rounded approach.
This doesn’t mean the Boks should stop kicking for territory; it simply means that they should vary their approach and become a less predictable force. And to do that, they will need to employ a flyhalf who is capable of asking questions of the opposition defence.
Steyn is not that flyhalf, and given his loss of goal-kicking form, he can no longer make a contribution to the Boks.
Persisting with Steyn will do the Boks more harm than good. It would be more prudent to send him back to Pretoria where he can address the problems with his kicking technique.
Let him get to the root of his troubles, let him build some confidence in the Currie Cup. Let him rediscover that trademark accuracy and amass so many points that, as was the case in 2009, he cannot be denied a place in the Bok set-up.
Meyer claims that Steyn is a warrior. They’re cheap words. Let Steyn prove it; let him fight his way back into contention. Don’t reward his mediocrity by picking him week after week. Let him earn his place.
Dropping Steyn will allow the Boks to develop a more balanced approach. It will also force Steyn to address his flagging strengths.
I doubt that installing Pat Lambie or Johan Goosen at flyhalf will bring the Boks immediate success, but it will ensure that they start to move in the right direction.
Goosen earned his first cap in Perth, and in those 10 minutes he offered more on attack than Steyn has in three years. When Lambie has started at 10, he has also posed more of an attacking threat. The Australasian tour in 2011 was a prime example, as Lambie stood out despite the poor effort of his forwards.
There is some value in the current game plan, and it would be foolish to dispense with it completely. What’s needed is variation, an allowance and understanding that attack is an integral part of the modern game, and that no team can defend for 80 minutes.
It’s wrong that Steyn’s loss of goal-kicking form should be the catalyst for change. But change is desperately needed.
Steyn’s inaccuracies have already cost South Africa in three matches. They cannot be ignored whether your game plan is ultra conservative or perfectly balanced. Whichever way you want to look at it, persisting with Steyn would be counterproductive.
That being said, Meyer must avoid the temptation to turn Lambie and Goosen into Steyn clones. Both these players have the potential to become complete flyhalves in the mould of Dan Carter. They must be backed and allowed the necessary room to realise that potential.
Embrace their full skill set and you will embrace a more balanced approach. Only then will the results against New Zealand and Australia come with any great consistency.
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215 Comments
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10 Sep 2012, 05:05 am
Will Bokke management have enough walkie talkies after Meyer broke 3 over his forehead?
10 Sep 2012, 05:14 am
@NZINCHINA-1:
You have to admit, that was classic TV. Not often you see that much emotion from a national coach either…
And JC, you are right, it is the predictability of Steyn that is the issue. There may well be a role for him in the future but on current form he should not be there. Form, mind you, that has dropped about 12 months ago and never picked up again…
10 Sep 2012, 05:15 am
@NZINCHINA-1:
lol
Steyn is not to entirely blame here
Pienaar must go..
Callup Vermark at 9, Goosen at 10
I believe Meyer may go with these two
10 Sep 2012, 05:21 am
2/3 blood the Goose nothing to lose as everybody in SA is expecting to lose this game, Steyn has given his all for Bokke rugby but his time is up although he is not the only problem.
10 Sep 2012, 05:21 am
Mind you, I felt tlike breaking something midway through the second half as well…
G13, nah he has been poor for a while now, time to give him a break.
10 Sep 2012, 05:24 am
@NZINCHINA-4:
He should have played at least 30 minutes on Saturday rather than the 9 minute cameo he did get. But yes, play Goosen for 40 minutes and Lambie for 40 or the other way around, Steyn can carry the tog bags…
10 Sep 2012, 05:31 am
Slart perfect conditions guaranteed for the test so running rugby will be on the menu, Cruden will run everytime he’s spots a gap lets hope Goosen or the little Lamb do the same to make it a classic spectacle, too
much defeatism in Bokke circles already
about this test that should never happen.
thistest that
10 Sep 2012, 05:35 am
I don’t think only Steyn is to blame. It’s not a game plan issue either. The execution is not there. Sure some players are not executing as they should and Morne Steyn is one but we have problems in the back line and an unbalance, uncommitted 6, 7 snd 8 combination. Hooper outplayed all of the Boks forwards. But we can’t complain about injuries and retirements and certainly not about the ref in this match. The Aussies have their own share of injury problems. The Boks simply didn’t execute as they should have. They were too slow to get to the ball, they forgot to drive over the ball at rucks and they distribute too slowly. The sad thing is you don’t fix these things in a week. They may be more losses in NZ. HM will have to find able bodies to execute the basic well at test level. And that’s a big ask with the current crop of wannabees.
10 Sep 2012, 05:37 am
Morning All,
I think that were in for a tough ride this year, starting this weekend. More injuries to players (Habs and JDP) means less experienced players. Thanks to Etspeth, Bekker or Fllip is going to start this weekend.
Now, I don’t think HM will drop steyn and make more changes. He already will have a seriously weakened team with those 3 out, and to drop steyn and pienaar means 5 changes.
Not going to happen the week of the AB’s.
I sniff a harsh saturday coming up!
10 Sep 2012, 05:37 am
@greatest13gerber-3:
Agree, Steyn must go but he’s not alone.
Pienaar a perennial underperformer at Test level, time to get the flick.
And why is everyone so quiet about Jean de Villiers? He has offered nothing, is also way off form and needs to seriously step up if he’s not to lose his place and the captaincy.
Then there’s the pack, pushed around by a super-kak Wallabies eight.
Yes, Steyn must go, but let’s not kid ourselves that he’s the only passengerr.
10 Sep 2012, 05:39 am
so there we have it
proof definite that Bok rugby is the very definition of k@K, k@k and more k@k..
wonder what the odds are of SA getting the first Rugby Championship wooden spoon? must be even money surely?
still, you guys have all this magnificent depth, the best in the world we’re told repeatedly…
hahaha this sure is a funny circus
doot doot oodle doodle oot doot do do
10 Sep 2012, 05:54 am
@NZINCHINA-7:
@Amerifikaner-8:
@BULLET-9:
People are very quick to shoot the Meyer down, in the process they also very quick to forget the mess we had under PDivvie. Key to this is the fact that the Boks had only 4 run-on players from the team playing in the 1/4 last year.
It is a massive change and we fooling ourselves if we think it won’t take time to get things right. Sure we have issues with players like Morne and Krusty(who had his best game in a while at 15) but overall there is little wrong with the selected players. And forget about injured and recently back from injury players lurking around, this is not the comp to consider them.
Yes, I was very frustrated on Saturday mostly because I expect so much more but sometimes we need to be realistic as well.
As for the weekend, unlikely as it may sound we have an even chance of beating the AB who is far from the top of their game too…but I won’t hold my breath!
10 Sep 2012, 05:58 am
Don’t know about an even chance but you certainly have a chance.
10 Sep 2012, 06:00 am
Please hey eke get rid of him. he is the problem! Put Lambie, Jantjies, Peter Grant, Butch James or GOOSEN. ANYONE BUT MORNE HE IS KAKKK
10 Sep 2012, 06:01 am
The larger problem is the predictability in the South African game. Going into this week, NZ’s planning will be as follows: “We’ll match the Springbok physicality in the forwards, and we’ll have to deploy a back 3 that is safe under the high ball.”
The ABs will back themselves to do both. Boks must develop a more varied game plan. To beat NZ and Australia, it’s not enough to rely simply on forward aggression and a kick-chase game.
10 Sep 2012, 06:02 am
@Slartibartfast-12: Slabby, I am not shooting HM down. I even mentioned that there is no fundamentals wrong with it. But some players is not at the top of their game and there are others not doing the essensials right. Our defense was an issue this week, that can be fixed, but the backline is slow and uncreative and it stems from a lack of management urgency to the players to do things at top speed. The Boks have become predictable.
10 Sep 2012, 06:05 am
All this talk about dropping players is just crazy. Morne I can understand because he has been off form for almost 2 seasons now but most of this squad are the same players who made the final/semi final of Super rugby this year. Good players don’t suddenly become bad players overnight so the only logical conclusion I come to is in game strategy and poor game plan.
The game against the Aussies was a perfect illustration of Heineken’s inability or refusal to adapt to the game. The Aussies came out in the second half and used Plan B, spreading the ball more and fracturing the defense, and what did our ‘world class coach’ do? He asked for better execution of his one dimensional game plan!!!!
As our cricket team has proven recently: You can have the best players on the planet, but if the coach and game plan is wrong, then no amount of talent will win you the game. As soon as a smart coach (Kirsten) arrived with a good Plan A B C and D, we became the best team on the planet.
The Springboks should have a forward thinking coach who is adding to world rugby with innovative strategy and game plans. We should be writing the blue prints that the rest of the world copies. Instead we are stuck with incompetent amateurs from top to bottom. Every Aussie and his sheep knows that you can’t win a game without the ball with the way the rules are interpreted, but still we insist on kicking the ball away with three or four man overlaps with 5 minutes left to play. (Dumbfoundedsmiley)
10 Sep 2012, 06:06 am
@Amerifikaner-16:
Was a general comment not directed at you
The reality is that if we take our provincial glasses off there is not a lot wrong with the selected team, maybe with the performance as you say but able replacements are not everywhere.
10 Sep 2012, 06:08 am
@Golden Boy-17:
Quick question, is the gameplan limited by the people currently available to play?
10 Sep 2012, 06:20 am
@12 – slab,
I was not shooting meyer down. I was saying that were going to have a helluva tough year with the injuries and the change in coaching philosophy.
I have not yet and will not yet pass judgement on Meyer till he has had more than 12 games in charge.
10 Sep 2012, 06:24 am
@Slartibartfast-12:
Yep, some things usually take time to come together. but Meyer doesn’t have the luxury of having time on his side, in fact some of his decisions have been a waste of time. Yet I still think this weekends Ab v Bok game will be very close.
10 Sep 2012, 06:25 am
@BULLET-20:
Hehehe klomp fyngevoelige manne hier vanoggend!
Again, it was a general comment on the posts Saturday night and Sunday. Check some of the posts on the other articles…
10 Sep 2012, 06:33 am
I don’t think Morne has ever delt well with competing for his position. When Derrick Hoggard was around he seemed happy to play second fiddle.
I was at the game on Saturday and watched the boys warm up. Morne was battling to get them over from inside the 10m line. Goosen was banging them over from half way line directly behind Morne. Intimidating you bet ya.
10 Sep 2012, 06:34 am
@Slartibartfast-19:
No I don’t think so. If you consider that we had a draw at home against a poor England team. We had a draw against Argentina and we lost to an Aussie team that not only has more injuries than us, but they have a smaller player pool as well, then you have to consider that just perhaps the game plan is not as formidable as you (Heineke) thought it was.
And this to me is the fundamental problem with Meyer. Instead of making minor adjustments to the game plan in order to suit counter the oppositions strengths and to prey on their weaknesses, we blindly choose to do the same thing over and over and over ad nauseum hoping for a different result.
Secondly: Meyer is selecting the players that he feels are good enough for his game plan. So perhaps he should realize that these players either do not buy in to it or that they have been taught to play to a different way; so perhaps he should look at the players available to him at present and devise the best strategy that suits them and not the other way around.
You don’t expect Leonel Messi to win you headers in the box, so you devise a game plan that suits his strengths. The same should be done for the Boks.
10 Sep 2012, 06:35 am
It really is pretty simple. Meyer needs to go off and have a good cry about Matfield, Bakkies, Gurthro, Danie, Juan S, Schalk B, Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie etc etc etc.
Once he has received therapy for his grief, he must come back and embrace the players he DOES have.
If he can do that, and he is worth anything as a coach, he will be able to formulate some sort of blueprint that WORKS for the players HE DOES HAVE AVAILABLE.
This utter tripe about forcing players to conform to a plan he designed for others is never going to work. If he can admit to that…..(fukkit what are the chances)
10 Sep 2012, 06:36 am
@Golden Boy-24: SNAP!
10 Sep 2012, 06:37 am
@Te Rangatira-21:
I agree my friend. Also, yes, this game be very close. I actually feel the Boks may win this one. Being wounded and desperate!!!.
10 Sep 2012, 06:38 am
If the Boks kick as much ball away to as they did against the Aussies to Dagg, Jane and Savea , the scoreline will be a blowout of epic proportions. I dont know what strategy the Boks can employ. Their forwards are struggling to give the backline any decent ball and when the backs do get ball they look stagnant and ineffective.
10 Sep 2012, 06:46 am
@greatest13gerber-27:
Yep, i too have a feeling of the Boks pulling this one off.
Lets face it, the Bok dont play 4-5 bad games in a roll.
We all know they have their odd bad year but normally dont have a continued run of bad games. And the way the ABs have been playing, consistency wise not up to scratch, the ABs might find a Bok team that will push and beat them on Saturday.
10 Sep 2012, 06:47 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-26:
Hopefully the current Bok coach is more astute than we give him credit for. But dammmn, if he is, he is hiding it bloody well!!
10 Sep 2012, 06:48 am
@Hurricane-29:
Currently they look like they are playing ‘in a roll’
10 Sep 2012, 06:50 am
@Golden Boy-31:
haha
I thought someone would pick that up, of course i meant row.
10 Sep 2012, 06:51 am
The All Blacks will win by 20+ in Dunedin.
10 Sep 2012, 06:52 am
@TheTackler-33:
Yep and that is also on the cards.
10 Sep 2012, 06:53 am
Morne and Britney play even though they are ubber k ak, yet others get dropped at the drop of a hat. Funny how some are the chosen…
10 Sep 2012, 06:55 am
Why don’t we look at Michael Classens at 9? He’s done so well in the UK, great attacking and defending scrummy. I wonder if he would even accept a call up, since he’s been there for quite some time already.
10 Sep 2012, 07:02 am
@Gumboots-35: I said it when Meyer was appointed, and I say it now: we are phucked. Oh yes we are.
Sure we might win a game or 2 on pure passion and desperation, wounded Bok and all that….BUT: that is no long term solution. A win/wins will not be as the result of any technical improvement or decent tweaks to an outdated blueprint – it would result from desperate players who still have some sort of pride in a Bok jersey, and as we all know, that passion can carry a team through a game or 2 – but lack of coaching will always reclaim it’s rightful hold on even the most passionate and desperate of teams.
10 Sep 2012, 07:05 am
one must say, I think 8th at the WC was a good tournament for SA rugby, they certainly exceeded expectations based on current performances..
and we are now seeing what history has been showing us, the Bok winning percentage continues to decline since isolation..
it is now not a blip, but a slippery slope gaining momentum..
perhaps SA should play up north?
10 Sep 2012, 07:15 am
can anyone recommend a really good Steyn remover?
10 Sep 2012, 07:28 am
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food-25:
Pedigree, you,me,we have been going since day on ad nauseam about Meyer’s limited coaching attributes, outdated gameplan, poor selection policies, conformist attitude to myopic strategies etc, but the players need to hardenup and say farkthiscoach we’re going out there to win and we’re the ones who are going to make it happen, viva la revolution, Starting with the Captain, who has nothing to lose as his head is not far away from the guillotine, he needs to lead by example, I want to see him come off the field swathed in blood soaked bandages, otherwise sorry to say…..chop chop.Yes the time has come for the players to take the Bokke destiny into their own hands and go out there and forget about what Meyer wants and worry about the reprecussions later.
10 Sep 2012, 07:29 am
keo clicked on the ‘default’ setting again and now everything is small…like him!
10 Sep 2012, 07:32 am
pops shat his pants again…
10 Sep 2012, 07:33 am
I think we start with the same team againste the all blacks they will put 20 points on us. I dont thing its just morne that is the problem. Too many of our top players have been so rubbish lately. Only forward to play well was Marcel but why did they sub him so early in the second half. Alberts and Vermulan were soo ****. In the back line Morne and Zane are serious problems. Once Goosen and Lambie were on the field we seemed to be playing with more purpose.
10 Sep 2012, 07:35 am
AM I wrong here?
I am a kiwi so not an authority on Bok players.
But my two cents worth is this.
This is a Kiwis thoughts on SA current rugby dilemma.
Feel free to agree disagree.
Depth shouldn’t be a problem you have thousands of rugby players and many world class players.
It seems to me SA rugby is rooted in the past. The argument being when SA rugby was at its zenith a huge pack, and a good tactical kicker had been the key.
My opinion is SA officials have forgotten the rules have changed so much over the last decade or so a huge pack of giants rucking and smashing their opposites is no longer such a major factor.
The game has evolved to a game of speed at the breakdown, quick recycling of the ball and fast service to the wings whenever possible.
Big packs in the process of 80 minutes become slower as they are run sideline to sideline. Players slide of tackles or just don’t get to the breakdown on time.
The secret to the Boks being back to the top of world rugby is in the MIX. The game is no longer a fifteen man game it’s a 22 man game now the reserves can come into play.
A coach can afford to flog a forward because he can always replace him with a fresh player.
His bench must be picked because he intends to play it all during the eighty minutes. The reserves shouldn’t be seen as backup but players waiting their turn.
Your coach waited far too long to replace with fresh men in the Aussie game. Not the players fault.
A coach should never have all his biggest forwards on the field at one time.
He needs some forwards who are there because of their tenacity and their speed not their size.
Reid NZ’s number 8 is a tall rangy player. Not small but hardly a Vermullen or Albetz but he is more effective because he has SPEED and I think fitter because of that fact.
You need to tell some players to strip of some of their bulk and I bet you that will pay dividends.
Anyway that is what I think you want bench players who can be used to change the tactics in a moment when your current tactics aren’t working.
Eg Morne Styen good tactical kicker average attacker.
Possible player who can play a different style Lambie.
What do you Bok fans think of my theory about your current problems.
(Oh and get the best back coach you can find in the world, never heard of your current one.)
10 Sep 2012, 07:35 am
The sooner we lose our fascination with our ‘kicking’ game the better.
The Boks did not lose (or draw) because of a poor kicking game, they lost because we continue to get bullied of our own balls at the ruck, or slowing it down ourselves to form predictable ******* pods.
Forget a superior line out, forget a superior scrum or a guy that can kick 99% of his kicks – those are bonuses.
Become proficient and dominant in an area which occurs well over 200 times in a match (ruck) and you will start beating teams.
10 Sep 2012, 07:36 am
backing the boks to pip the nz’s.
also putting money on the boks to win the championships.
(dooses dont reply)
10 Sep 2012, 07:37 am
@NZINCHINA-1: I want to be awarded the tender to supply walkie talkies to the Boks! Then I’ll be able to retire in comfort! But, given half a chance, I’d smash the walkie talkies on the Bok coaches heads myself! It’s called business development
10 Sep 2012, 07:37 am
congrats to the aussies on a gritty gutsy win.
and those blerrie kwas too!
fokkit, what a weekend
i watched the bok game in a pub and was so far from the action i dont think i can intelligently give any commentary unfortunately as i couldnt really follow individual performances but it seemed as though we bashed it up and kicked it away again?
this call for mornes head is not new and imo he should have been gone a long time ago.
play pat for the first half then move him to 15 and bring the goose on.
and if ruan fecks around at the back of a ruck or scrum again, send him back to ulster the irritating unibrow. cant handle losing ball at the back of a ruck due to a fucken scrummie toeing it around and waving his arms like a tunc ffs!
10 Sep 2012, 07:38 am
@Slartibartfast-42: not at all Slarti, just laughing my guts out that your team is now confirmed as Australia’s Biyatches…
Ive read ad nauseam on this blog how **** Aussie are, yet they have just recorded their fifth straight victory over you guys..
face it, Bok rugby is seriously poor, but the delusion by many of her fans on here is truly heart warming..
10 Sep 2012, 07:39 am
@patch-43:
On the day Krusty actually did ok for once, the other issue is our cappie, he did next to nothing unless you count slipping tackles that is! Oh and Mvovo who gifted the Wobblies the game without breaking a sweat…or sticking out a hand as it is.
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